Last Updated on January 20, 2021

Ottawa is promising to accept up to three times as many new applications for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) this year – and the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa will allow for even more family members to come to Canada.

“For the 2021 program, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will conduct a new interest to sponsor form intake process and accept a maximum of 30,000 new applications,” states the Canadian immigration department on its website.

“Information and timelines for the 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program will be posted on IRCC’s website as soon as they’re available.”

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Under the 2020 program, which was delayed to the start of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Canadian immigration officials will only accept 10,000 new applications, leaving many sponsors disappointed and foreign nationals eager to join their children and/or grandchildren.

The much-higher limit for the PGP in 2021 offers hope to all of those parents and grandparents who want to try again.

Anyone wishing to sponsor a parent or grandparent under this year’s PGP will have to meet the following criteria:

• be at least 18 years old;
• live in Canada;
• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or be a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, and;
• have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor. 

Canada lowered the income requirements in 2020 to offset the impact of coronavirus but that may change this year. 

Parents and Grandparents Super Visa

Another route for these parents and grandparents to come to Canada is the Super Visa, which allows successful applicants to stay in Canada for up to two years at a time.

The application for Parents and Grandparents Super Visa is made to a visa office outside of Canada and must meet certain criteria.

Firstly, the applicant must be eligible for a regular visitor visa. This means that besides being in good health and having a valid travel document, the applicant must satisfy a Canadian immigration official that they will willingly leave the country at the end of their authorized stay, that they have sufficient ties to their home country such as a job, family or property, and that they have sufficient funds available to support themselves for the length of their stay.

Additionally, the individual applicant must:

• show that they are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• obtain medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that is valid for at least one year, providing a minimum coverage of $100,000 for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, and;
• undergo a medical examination.

The applicant’s family member in Canada must:

• demonstrate that they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• provide the applicant with a letter of invitation. This is a letter that provides information about the applicant’s planned visit, about the child or grandchild’s occupation and economic situation in Canada. Most importantly, this letter must include a written and signed promise of financial support for the applicant for the duration of their visit, and;
• demonstrate their income is above a predetermined minimum level.